The subject invention is directed to fluid treatment systems and more particularly, to a system for monitoring the performance of replaceable and/or serviceable fluid treatment cartridges.
Replaceable and/or serviceable fluid treatment devices such as filter cartridges, additive dispensers, and the like are well known in the art and have been utilized for many years in residential and commercial fluid treatment systems. For the most part, the life of a fluid treatment cartridge is limited. For example, the life of a filter cartridge is limited by its contaminant holding capacity, while the life of an additive dispenser is limited by the amount of additive contained therein. In general, it is difficult for a user to know or to determine when a fluid treatment cartridge has exceeded its useful life and should therefore be removed, replaced and discarded, or in the case of a serviceable fluid treatment cartridge, when the cartridge should be backwashed, cleaned or regenerated.
One effort to resolve this problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,867 to Parise, which presents a counter top filter unit with a replaceable electronic display monitor mounted within the housing that supports the filter cartridge. The life span of the filter cartridge is shown on the display monitor in terms of colored indicator lights which denote whether the filter cartridge in within, nearing or outside its expected life span. The display monitor is electronically linked with associated flow monitoring components and a microprocessor for establishing the amount of water purified by the filter and for interpreting that amount in terms of the life span of the filter cartridge. While this system provides advantages over unmonitored filtration systems, the monitoring device must be replaced each time a new filter is employed. In other words, the monitoring system is not designed to be reset after a spent cartridge is removed.
In most instances, the replaceable and/or serviceable fluid treatment devices employed in commercial and consumer appliances are manufactured in accordance with particular design specifications and performance parameters provided by the appliance manufacturer. In many cases, the filter media used in such filters consists of a proprietary material or is manufactured using a proprietary process. Thus, appliance manufactures often recommend that replacement cartridges be purchased from the original equipment provider so as to ensure the integrity and proper operation of the filtering system.
Oftentimes, the owner of a household appliance or the maintenance personnel servicing a commercial vending machine is not aware of the replacement filter specifications and operating parameters of the filtering system. Consequently, they unknowingly jeopardize the integrity of the filtration system by replacing a used filter with an inferior or incompatible replacement filter supplied by an after-market manufacturer. Automotive filter manufacturers have also encountered this problem, as inferior replacement fuel filters are frequently installed in a vehicle without the knowledge of the vehicle owner or operator. Further, incompatible filter use can lead to malfunctioning of the filter, resulting in the use of unfiltered and potentially unsafe fluids and raising filter manufacturer liability issues related to harm caused by these unfiltered fluids.
It would be beneficial to provide a system for monitoring the performance of a replaceable and/or serviceable fluid treatment cartridge that is configured to be reset upon cartridge replacement and/or servicing and is adapted to prevent the use of unauthorized or incompatible replacement cartridges.